Sharing stories about their lives and experiences in political organizing, narrators contribute to a collective memory, highlighting the similarities and differences in the landscape today and how they have remained committed to movement work over decades.
Jihad Abdulmumit, a Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army veteran, was born in 1954 in Somers Point, New Jersey. Jihad was raised in Plainfield and joined the Black Panther Party at 16. He recounts his experiences as a political prisoner and community organizer in Rochester, New York, from 1976 to 2000.
Jihad details his involvement with the Monroe County Community Organizers and the Rochester Federation of Youth, which included youth programs and a community newspaper. He was involved in a number of the Black Panther Party survival programs, including free breakfasts and health clinics. Abdulmumit discusses his conversion to Islam in prison and his subsequent leadership roles in Jericho, an organization supporting political prisoners. He reflects on the challenges of balancing above-ground and underground activities, the impact of technology on modern activism, and the need for strategic collaboration among revolutionary organizations. Jihad also discusses his transition from political activism to cultural work, emphasizing the importance of reaching the masses through plays and films. Abdulmumit plans to focus on progressive art to ignite revolutionary ideas.
